Power amplifiers may experience significant damage under input-power overload conditions. Protection against such overload conditions is complicated by complex digitally modulated signals with high peak-to-average ratios, such as those found in wireless code division multiple access (W-CDMA) systems. The high peak-to-average ratios create fast rise and fall times of a radio frequency (RF) waveform in the time domain. Conventional electronic protection systems fail to react quickly enough to avoid permanent damage from the peaks of the RF waveform, while at the same time providing linearity sufficient to not degrade spectral re-growth.